Warping The warping process at Smith's Bridge Street Mill, 1940s. The warp consists of the threads of yarn which run the length of a blanket. Strands of yarn sufficient in number to form the required width of a blanket are wound onto a large warp beam to produce the 'chain' required for the loom. Each chain will contain enough yarn in length to make between one and two hundred blankets. During the winding of this beam a 'marking hammer' will mark the yarn at regular intervals with dye to denote the length of each blanket being produced. The warp chain is 'beamed' (put on the loom) wider than the finished width of the blankets, this is to allow for the milling (shrinking) process, which is essential in order to obtain a firm cloth structure for when the nap is raised.
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